The phone alarm buzzed on the bedside table as the first light of dawn filtered through the slits in the curtains.
Victor frowned as he reached out, still half-asleep, to silence the alarm, then let his arm fall limply back onto the bed.
He didn't get up immediately, but instead lay still with his eyes closed for a long time, as if savouring some long-forgotten peace.
His nerves had been stretched taut these past days, leaving him with scarcely a decent night's sleep. Last night, however, had been different. He'd slept deeply, as if his entire body had been submerged in warm water.
But the dream had been bizarre beyond belief.
In it, a crude, almost comical interface had emerged from the depths of his consciousness, like the screen of an old-school video game. It displayed his name, l
